The paper examines efficiency, productivity and scale economies in the U.S. property-liability insurance industry. Productivity change is analyzed using Malmquist indices, and efficiency is estimated using data envelopment analysis (DEA). The results indicate that the majority of firms below...

Little in the scholarly economics literature is directed specifically to stable value funds, although they occupy a leading place among retirement investment vehicles. They are offered in almost half of all defined contribution plans in the USA, with more than $800 billion dollars worth of...

This study analyses the impact of political factors on commercial banks' behaviour and performance in 11 CEE countries between 1992 and 2008. Using a unique dataset of commercial banks and electoral factors, we find that state-owned banks show significantly smaller net interest income ratios...

In the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis, South Korea, which had been one of the most successful economies in the world, was forced to raise interest rates and cut government spending by the IMF. These measures caused great economic distress. Because Asian countries are not well represented in the...

Banks hold liquid and illiquid assets. An illiquid bank that receives a liquidity shock sells assets to liquid banks in exchange for cash. We characterize the constrained efficient allocation as the solution to a planner's problem and show that the market equilibrium is constrained inefficient,...